Sept. 28, 2017 | To be accepting of one another and work to unify the country, individuals must better understand their privileges and identify ways to help others, said Sara Tariq, M.D., assistant dean for undergraduate clinical education in the UAMS College of Medicine.

The interactive, lunchtime talk Sept. 20 was the third in a series of events sponsored by the UAMS Center for Diversity Affairs to celebrate UAMS Diversity Month.

Privilege is a set of unearned benefits afforded to a group of people, often inherently, that can include financial status, race, property, freedom, education and culture, said Tariq. Privilege can come with many negative connotations, said Tariq; however, having privilege is not an insult or accusation.

“Privilege doesn’t mean you have lived a life free of suffering or free of challenges,” she said. “It doesn’t infer you’re a bad or selfish person and it doesn’t denote you didn’t work hard to get where you are, nor does it mean you’re a racist.”

The important step is to recognize privilege. To emphasize the point, Tariq quoted Peggy McIntosh, a well-known professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts who said failing to reckon with privilege means settling for a partial view of reality.

Still quoting McIntosh, Tariq said to identify privilege, individuals must be able to see patterns and systems throughout social life and also care about others’ individual experiences.

“Oftentimes, we feel unheard and that’s part of the problem when it comes to the discussion of privilege,” said Tariq. “It’s making ourselves stand back and make sure we’re listening to what the other person is saying.”

Tariq invited the audience to take part in a 20-question survey to help better identify its individual advantages. The questions ranged from marriage equality, discrimination, the recognition of religious holidays and the representation of the individual’s race, nationality and religion within society.

Following the exercise, Tariq encouraged the audience to find ways to help others, whether it’s by advocating for a specific cause or finding simple ways in daily life to be hospitable.

“It can be as simple as smiling and greeting someone,” said Tariq. “That might be enough to create a little bit of safety for that person in that space. It’s important to be an ally.”

By Lee Hogan | September 28th, 2017

Sept. 26, 2017 | A University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) research scientist has been awarded a $409,750 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to lead a study investigating ways the brain develops resilience to mental illnesses like addiction.

Andrew James, Ph.D., an associate professor in the UAMS College of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry, is the principal investigator in the two-year study, which will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine patterns of brain organization in adult subjects who experienced childhood trauma.

James and his research team will conduct a series of cognitive tests on the subjects while they undergo an MRI scan in an attempt to determine the different ways males and females adapt to traumatic experiences.

The study is a follow-up to research initiated in 2014 by James and Clint Kilts, Ph.D., director of the Brain Imaging Research Center, which demonstrated how childhood trauma may lead to addiction.

“We know from our previous research that adults who experienced childhood trauma and didn’t become addicted to drugs or alcohol had a unique brain organization compared to those who did become addicted,” said James. “We hope this study will help us determine the role gender plays in these trauma outcomes.”

James’ study will also involve subjects from a previous research trial pertaining to trauma and adolescent girls. James will be following up with former participants to determine the long-term effects of trauma.

“We’re going to be studying 40 girls with varying trauma histories. They were 12 to 16 years of age when they first participated in our research study,” said James, who will be testing the subjects’ motor skills and attention control in the MRI scanner and comparing their results to earlier data. “We’re interested in whether or not they developed an addiction to drugs. Were their brains born resilient or did they learn resilience?”

For information about the study, contact the Brain Imaging Research Center at (501) 420-2653.

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a northwest Arkansas regional campus; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,870 students, 799 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS and its regional campuses throughout the state, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

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By Amy Widner | September 26th, 2017

Sept. 25, 2017 | Jerad Gardner, M.D., an associate professor in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine’s Departments of Pathology and Dermatology, was named among the top five of the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s “40 Under 40” 2017 list.

The “40 Under 40” list honors pathologists and laboratory medicine professionals globally under the age of 40. Gardner was named among the top five at the society’s annual meeting, Sept. 6-8 in Chicago.

The honorees come from various health systems and universities around the world. Each was selected based on their achievements and leadership qualities that impact the field of pathology and laboratory medicine. The top five were selected as “true future leaders who are advancing the next generation of professionals,” according to the society.

“It is such an honor not only to be recognized by the American Society for Clinical Pathology, but even more importantly, to be named alongside so many of my fantastic friends and colleagues who also made this list,” Gardner said. “Having colleagues like these makes me proud to be a pathologist.”

Gardner was also elected in August to the American Society of Dermatopathology Board of Directors through 2020.

Gardner is a dermatopathologist and bone/soft tissue sarcoma pathologist. He directs the dermatopathology fellowship program and co-directs the musculoskeletal/skin module, both in the College of Medicine.Gardner has lectured internationally on bone and soft tissue tumors and skin disease.

He also speaks to health care professionals nationally and internationally on how to use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram professionally. Gardner was one of the first to use social media in his field and is now the chair of social media subcommittees for two pathology organizations — the American Society of Dermatopathology and the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology. He has created Facebook discussion groups for pathologists that now have 18,000 and 25,000 followers and has created a social media guide for pathologists. He also volunteers with rare cancer patient support groups on Facebook.

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a northwest Arkansas regional campus; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,870 students, 799 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS and its regional campuses throughout the state, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

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By Amy Widner | September 25th, 2017

Sept. 22, 2017 | Sasha Ray, a third-year College of Medicine student from Little Rock, has been elected director for Region III of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), the nation’s oldest and largest, independent, student-run organization focused on the needs and concerns of medical students of color.

Ray was elected to the SNMA Board of Directors at the organization’s Annual Medical Education Conference in Atlanta in April. More than 2,000 medical and pre-medical students, physicians, exhibitors, administrators, government officials and observers participated in the conference.

“SNMA is incredibly important to me, and I am humbled to be in a position to give back,” Ray said.

Ray said the SNMA supported her at a time when she almost gave up on her dream of becoming a doctor. During a graduate school program that she hoped would increase her chances of getting into medical school, she was going to school by day and working nights. She was exhausted and barely making ends meet. During this personal low point, a friend pressured her to come to a national level SNMA meeting, even though she didn’t feel like she had the time or money to attend.

“It changed my life,” Ray said. “I remember feeling so affirmed and people were like: ‘You can get into medical school. Our communities need you. You have to speak for people.’ I met a lot of people who had been in my shoes in the past or were in my same position at the same time, and the message was, ‘You can do this.’”

Ray believes support, role models and early interventions are pivotal to increasing the number of minorities in medicine, in part, because those factors were part of her lived experience.

“It’s difficult to envision yourself or see yourself doing things that you don’t see around you,” she said. “No one in my family graduated from college. I didn’t have any doctors in my family. Thankfully, my mother put me in educational programs to expose me to possibilities from an early age. And let’s be honest. Medical school is hard. Getting into medical school is hard. Staying in medical school is hard. There are so many opportunities along this path to give up. It’s difficult enough for students who do have support and role models and have been working toward this since childhood, so for the students who don’t – which is often the case in minority communities – it’s even more of a challenge and that support is even more significant.”

Ray said that SNMA’s work in these key areas is already well-established. She is proud of its scholarships, discounts, mentorships, networks and programs that expose young people to medical careers. Her main goal will be to ensure that this mission continues to operate with efficiency. She will get the chance to communicate her ideas at the SNMA Regional Leadership Institute Sept. 22-24 at UAMS. Representatives of SMNA chapters from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas will attend.

“We strive to allow students to envision a future for themselves and then give them the tools and resources and support they need to see that vision come to fruition,” Ray said.

Billy Thomas, M.D., M.P.H., vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion and director of the Center for Diversity Affairs, praised Ray’s willingness to give back and ability to turn her own journey into an inspirational example for others. He said there is still much work to be done in the effort to increase minority representation in medicine.

“By some measures, minority representation in medicine has remained unchanged for decades,” Thomas said. “For African-American males, the numbers are especially dire. In the past 40 years, the number of black male medical school applicants and enrollees has actually declined. For students like Sasha to not only do the work it takes to succeed in medical school, but to also take the time to give back to organizations that empower more minority students – that is something special and admirable.”

Ray is interested in surgery, health disparities and increasing the number of girls and minorities pursuing STEM education and medicine. She serves as the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students liaison for the Edith Irby Jones Chapter of the SNMA at UAMS as well as the public health and wellness chair for the Urban League Central Arkansas Young Professionals.

Ray attended Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School in Little Rock. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and African-American and diaspora studies at Vanderbilt University and attended graduate school at Hampton University in Virginia.

In addition to her election as SNMA Region III director, Ray was awarded a SNMA Future Leadership Program Fellowship in fall 2016.

By Amy Widner | September 22nd, 2017

Sept. 20, 2017 – A grant of more than $55,000 to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will assist health care providers across the state to identify and treat families with an inherited risk for cancer.

The one-year grant totaling $55,554 was presented to Kristin Zorn, M.D., director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in the UAMS College of Medicine, by the Arkansas Cancer Coalition (ACC) at its quarterly meeting Sept. 12.

“This funding will allow cancer genetics specialists at UAMS to use our state’s extensive telehealth network to train local health care providers about inherited cancer syndromes and their impact on cancer risk. These providers will then be better equipped to help their patients take steps to manage or reduce their risk of developing cancer,” said Zorn, who also leads the Hereditary Gynecologic Cancer Clinic at UAMS.

Telehealth is the use of high-speed, interactive video that connects doctors and patients from distant locations.

“The Arkansas Cancer Coalition is committed to reducing the human suffering and economic burden from cancer for the citizens of Arkansas,” said Trena Mitchell, ACC executive director. “By partnering with academic and community-based organizations such as UAMS, we can multiply our efforts by reaching those in counties with the highest needs.”

The program’s initial goal is to educate local health care providers, via telehealth, about Lynch Syndrome, an inherited disorder that increases the risk of colon, endometrial and several other types of cancer. The program also will implement guidelines that local providers can use to evaluate colon and endometrial cancer patients for the syndrome. UAMS genetics specialists will guide the providers through the screening process and help identify and counsel patients with Lynch syndrome about strategies for managing their cancer risk.

“By identifying families who have Lynch syndrome, we can help them make informed decisions about options to prevent or detect early-stage cancer. These include screening efforts such as colonoscopy or cancer prevention through risk-reduction surgery, such as hysterectomy,” said Zorn.

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a northwest Arkansas regional campus; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,870 students, 799 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS and its regional campuses throughout the state, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

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By Susan Van Dusen | September 20th, 2017

Sept. 19, 2017 | Tolerance has aided the rise of the world’s great empires and intolerance has abetted their fall, said Erick Messias, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., associate dean for faculty affairs in the UAMS College of Medicine.

Messias’ Sept. 13 lunchtime lecture, which followed Day of Empire, a book by Yale Law School Professor Amy Chua, was the second in a series of events hosted by the UAMS Center for Diversity Affairs during September to highlight UAMS Diversity Month.

He walked an audience of UAMS faculty, staff and students through five of the most notable empires in world history— Persia, Rome, the Tang Dynasty in China, Mongol and Britain — and explained how diversity, tolerance and intolerance impacted them.

Open-minded and inclusive practices were evident during each of the empire’s ascension, said Messias, while narrow-mindedness and discrimination were prevalent during their decline.

There were the tenets of religious freedom and slavery abolition under Cyrus II of Persia, the expansion of citizenship under Claudius in Rome, and multiethnic battalions under Genghis Khan in the Mongolian empire, said Messias.

But, these empires inevitably met their doom as tolerance faded and gave way to prejudices and injustice, such as religious intolerance in the vast Mongol Empire or in Persia where Xerxes II’s policies mirrored nativism.

He highlighted other failed world powers that never rose to the highest level of prominence because of intolerance, including Spain’s actions toward Jews and Muslims in the late 15^th century and the Holocaust in Nazi Germany in the 20^th century.

“These are examples of how intolerance takes you down, intolerance makes you weak,” said Messias. “Intolerance, in the end, will defeat you.”

With the past as a reminder and guide, Messias said America had the opportunity to learn from past world powers.

“We face a choice of being isolationist and nativist and building walls,” said Messias. “Or, we can become truly plural, tolerant and diverse.”

To accomplish the latter, Messias said, it will take action, which is especially relevant in a democracy.

“We should never fall into the trap of believing that history is progressive, that history is going to progress to better and better places,” he said. “I think history will progress to better places if we do the right thing.”

By Lee Hogan | September 19th, 2017

Sept. 19, 2017 | The Simulation Center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has been recognized as a program of quality in anesthesiology simulation and approved by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) to offer educational courses for anesthesiologists to hone their skills and maintain their professional certifications.

The UAMS Simulation Center is now offering several per year one-day crisis management simulation trainings that are part of the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology (MOCA) Program. Participants in the UAMS MOCA simulation course earn up to 25 MOCA Part 4 credits, the most time-efficient option for anesthesiologists to earn MOCA credits.  The program is a collaboration of the UAMS Department of Anesthesiology, the Simulation Center, and the Office of Continuing Education.

The first course is Nov. 17 and anesthesiologists from across the nation have already enrolled. More information is available at moca.uams.edu.

UAMS is joining a nationwide network of sites endorsed by the ASA to offer MOCA trainings, including the Stanford University School of Medicine, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, the Mayo Clinic, Vanderbilt University, the Cleveland Clinic, Duke University, Harvard University and others.

The simulations include a setting that closely replicates an operating room, real equipment, computerized “patients” that can be programmed to exhibit symptoms such as a rapid drop in heart rate during surgery and complications during labor and delivery, and challenging crisis scenarios, including power outage and fire in the operating room.

The training includes debriefing sessions during which participants reflect on their management of the situation, teamwork, potential for improvement and how to apply the lessons learned to their unique settings. UAMS educators will observe the simulation through a one-way mirror and guide the debriefing. The simulation scenario is filmed so participants can see a playback of themselves in action.

Previously, anesthesiologists from Central Arkansas had to travel to Dallas or further to take part in such trainings.

The Simulation Center serves all five colleges and the Graduate School at UAMS and the UAMS Medical Center. Training participants improves their skills and their ability to work collaboratively in teams across professions – doctors, nurses, pharmacists and many others.

The Simulation Center has had a well-established educational program for the anesthesiology students and residents training at UAMS for many years.

“Anesthesiology has embraced simulation,” said Michael Anders, Ph.D., director of education and research at the Simulation Center. “Anesthesiologists encounter emergencies during which they need to react quickly and follow appropriate steps. Simulation can help turn their reactions into dynamic decision making and improved team interactions during rare but important events when the patient’s life depends on it.”

Victor Mandoff, M.D., MOCA program director, practicing anesthesiologist and associate professor of anesthesiology at UAMS, agreed. He helped design the course and will lead it.

“When there is an actual emergency, seconds matter,” Mandoff. “You want your anesthesiologist to be trained for the worst-case scenario.”

Anders said research demonstrates that deliberate practice in simulation is an excellent way for all health professionals to keep their skills fresh.

Anders and Mandoff said the process of being endorsed by the ASA was rigorous and taught Simulation Center staff lessons they can apply to all their trainings.

“What we have already learned through the endorsement process is going to improve what we are able to offer all around,” Anders said. “At the end of the day, the improvements we make to the trainings we offer at the Simulation Center are about improving the quality and safety of patient care.”

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a northwest Arkansas regional campus; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,870 students, 799 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS and its regional campuses throughout the state, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

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By Amy Widner | September 19th, 2017